Milk strainer



July 25, 1950 D. o. BRANT 2,516,102

MILK STRAINER Filed Aug. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.:!.

DAVID 0, BRHN T,

I N VEN TOR.

- I ATONEY July 25, 1950 D, Q, B T 2,516,102

MILK STRAINER Filed Aug. 13, 1946 2 SheetsPSheet 2 n r I Zea-" 1.1;.

DAVID. O. BRHNT,

IN VEN TOR.

Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED- PATENT OFFICE :MILK .STRAINER David 0.11Brant, Beverly Hills, Calif. ,:Application August13, 194B,,SerialNo.1-680,186

This inventionrelates to amilk. strainer structure.

Speaking more specifically, the invention 1 .tains-to afiexible, elastic disk whiflhisinsertable into milk strainer structures to hold. in.p1ace in a more efiicient manner the strainer cloth or strainer pad customarily nsedzin such strainers; and to a how regulating ,out1et.me ans.

This invention isa-n improvement in1certain particulars upon the strainer structure. described and claimed in myeapplication for patent on milk strainers, filed inthe UnitediStates-Patent Office July 16, 1946, Serial No. 683,917, now Patent No. 2,483,000.

'It is well known that, in.milks-Strainersrano ifl :the-market it is well -nighe.: impossible to :get a tight. leak-proof fit of the strainer pad in relaj'tion to thestrainer bowlandthe dome which presses the pad into the well ,of {the bowl; and as a result of improperly "fitted domes moresor :less milk bygpasses the strainenpad and-goes into rthe main; supply unstrained carryingits quota of sediment and dirt.

Manufacturers of :strainers acknowledge that :it. has-heretofore beenga mechanical impossibility to. get and'maintain a;perfect:fit andrealize :that, i even: though they should -succe ed.in:doing so the Jfitted together parts. aresubject gto-being warped .out of perfect fit by the heatpf the tipping-process and of soldering or weldingxtheghandle to the demo or, grantingwthat perfectly ifitting; together parts remain after these manufacturing processes, such parts i are subjecttto'rbecoming soon I bent out of shape, and impairedqas" to their rfitted together relation. by-the rough-handling thatthe dairy equipment is subjectedito in the usual-dairy operations. 'Hence with-lth-epresent-equipment it if is seldom that perfectly fittingtogether-strainer parts are produced, and perfectsstra iningxis-consequently equally rare. above'mentioned defectsin strainer structuresnowzon the-market are due to a considerableextent'to thejfact thatathe metal domes 20f thestrainers are ,-rigid:a,nd inflexible and seldom match:upwithZ-thefibowls of the strainers so as to make a leak proof condition at their joints.

Another object ortheinventionjis toitpr-oviitie.

as anew article .of manufacture, for different types of strainer bowlsnow on the market an improved elastic outlet spoutattachment which will conform, in a fiuidtight manner to the bottoms of such bowls when attached to them, and which may be efficiently applied to such bowls even when they vary considerably in size and contour.

Another object of the invention is to, provide in a. milk strainer structure, an elastic dome shaped member which, on account of its flexibility can .be rolledinto and out of its operative position,

sertable into the outlet portion of the bowl of a ,milk strainer, said insert disk having a concavoconvex body portion which adds to the range of the diametrical ,adjustability of said insert disk. Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which ,illustrate present preferred embodiments of the invention:

Fig. .1 is a fragmentary side. elevation andpar- .tial midsection of-the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a .fragmentaryhorizontal section on angular 1ine.2-2. of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa bottomplan viewon a reduced scale of the dished, fabric-holding insert disk, shown [in part. in Figsland 2.

Fig. l is aside elevation and a part midsection bfamodifiedform of the device.

Fig. 5.is a fragmentary side elevation .and part midsectional view of another modification, show ing the invention applied .to a conventional strainer, the upperportion of a supporting milk can being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 6 is a bottom,perspectivelviewof the dished fabric-holding insert shown inFig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentarysectional view of a portion of the insert .shown in Figs. 4 and 6, full .-lines indicating the normal, unstressed condition of the insert before positioning it within the strainer, and dotted lines showingits operative position.

circular milk-admission passages I3. As seen in Fig. 1, this disk body l2 has an upwardly directed peripheral flange M which is outwardy stepped so as to furnish it with a horizontal edge portion l5.

The strainer body II is pressed out of sheet metal, being shaped with a foraminated horizontal bottom i6 having an imperforate peripheral portion ll, an annular lower wall portion 18 upstanding from the outer edge of said part II, an outwardly directed horizontal ledge l9 thereabove surrounded by an upper annular vertical wall 20 underlying the flared strainer mouth portion 2!.

Returning to the insert disk In, when said disk is in its operative position its convex side is directed upwardly, thus leaving a clearance 22 between it and the horizontal strainer cloth 23 which overlies the foraminated strainer bottom I6. In order to maintain this clearance and at the same time hold in place said strainer cloth the disk bottom I2 is provided with downward projections, shown as one or more concentric ribs 24, the widths of said ribs being such as substantially to compensate for the amount of clearance 22 between said disk and cloth resulting from the concave face of the disk being directed downwardly, the width of said clearance being slightly increased by reason of the disk body l2 having a short, downwardly directed peripheral bead 26. The reason for supporting the disk body 12 in the manner stated is to prevent the re' tarded outflow through the hereinafter described spout member from causing the strainer cloth from floating up against the superjacent part of the strainer structure, which would retard the flow of milk through the cloth. The upper surface of said strainer cloth is engaged both by said rib or ribs and said bead 26, the cloth being a disk of sufliciently greater diameter to allow its peripheral portion to be interposed between the flange portion l5 of the insert member and the ledge I9 and wall portion 2!] of the strainer. The weight of the milk upon said flange portion I3 causes it to press in a more efficient manner upon the part of the strainer cloth underlying it.

In Fig. 1 the strainer is shown provided with a detachable, elastic milk-delivery member 30 consisting of a central, downwardly directed spout 3!, a slightly dished floor portion 32 and a peripheral, circular applicator portion 33, the latter portion having an internal, annular, fiattopped, basal ledge 34 underlying the imperiorate outer part I! of the strainer bottom.

In the structure of milk delivery member 3! just described the strainer-gripping lip 33 is rather short, hence an elastic clamping ring 35 is provided for application therearound to guard against its unwanted detachment. In this instance the insert is provided at one side of its periphery with an ear 36 which the operator may livery member 30a is shown having a longer applicator lip 33a which needs no elastic cord to keep it in place, the strainer I la having a longer cylindrical part 20a, which provides plenty of room for said lip 33a. Also in this view an arcuate finger-hold loop 36a is provided upon the periphery of the insert member Illa for use in removing the latter. The annular ledge 34a of Fig.

4 is wider than the ledge 34 of Fig. 1.

As more clearly illustrated in Fig. '7, the insert xdisk l2a of Fig. 4 has a thickened, upwardly directedperipheral portion Ma the outer face of which is inclined outwardly from the vertical when the disk as a whole is disposed horizontally with its convexity directed upwardly. When, however, said "disk is forced into its operative position. within the bowl of the strainer said thickened peripheral portion thereof is deflected to the dotted line position of Fig. 7. Constructing the disk thus adds to the pressure with which the periphery of the disk engages the interior of the side wall of the strainer causing it to seat more firmly upon the marginal portion of the strainer cloth 23a.

The remaining parts of the structure shown in Fig. 4 are substantially the same as in Fig. 1 and hence are lettered the same.

In Fig. 6 the modified disk I2a is shown having a plurality of concentric ribs 24a which function similarly to the rib or ribs 24 of Fig. I. Said ribs also prevent reverse arcuating of the disk's dome.

In Fig. 5 the strainer l lb has a cylindrical part 20b with an outwardly flared lower portion 200 which is externally gripped by the thickened undercut lip or peripheral wall 33b of the modified spout-carrying member 301), the marginal portion'of the strainer cloth 23b surrounding said flared part 200 and being gripped between it and the undercut lip 33b. The flared part 200 of the strainer is frusto-conically shaped to conform to the undercut, which is also frusto-conical. In this structure the spout-carrying member is furnished with a plurality of integral upstanding fingers 40 positioned to support the strainer cloth 23b so as to maintain an outflow clearance thereunder. These fingers are required because in this embodiment the foraminated bottom is absent from the strainer llb.

It will be observed that not only the strainer bowl shown in Fig. 5 has a vertically extending peripheral wall portion 20b which is externally gripped by the spout member, but the spout member also grips vertical wall portions of the bowls shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

' The combination of the elastic spout-carrying member with the strainer domes shown produces superior'results. It will be observed that in all the'strainer structures illustrated in the drawings the strainer cloth is not permitted to float up against the under side of any imperiorate, flat surface, which would cause the part of pad contacting with such a surface not to function properly.

The entire strainer structure shown can be easily and. efiiciently washed and sterilized. The elastic insert member can be made at a low cost of heat and fat resistant material, such as neoprene, or some plastic, not only producing a simplerand less expensive article to make and maintain, but one that will outwear a metal insert. H

The strainer cloth-gripping "parts of the strainer structures shown are free from sharp, inflexible edges." that would tend to cut thin strainer disks of filter paper or cotton, hence by this invention it is made possible to use these cheaper, more economical and more efficient disks.

Owing to the upward convexity of the body portion of each of the elastic insert members shown in Figs. 1 and 4 a greater range of adjustability results between them and the strainer bowls into which they are fittable, because the convexity of said members augments their elastic property in regard to radially outward pressure exerted by them in their inserted positions.

I claim:

1. In a milk strainer, a bowl having a perforated bottom plate and a cylindrical wall rising from the periphery of said plate, a filter disk covering said plate, a resiliently flexible member of pliant rubber for retaining said filter disk on said plate, said retaining member having a circular apertured body and a solid annular marginal portion resiliently pressed against the cylindrical wall and upon the peripheral margin of the filter disk, and means integral with and depending from the center part of the body of the retaining member disposed to engage the filter disk in a region spaced substantiall inward of its pressed margin to space the body of the retaining member from the filter.

2. In a milk strainer, a bowl having a perforated bottom plate with a cylindrical wall rising from the periphery of the plate and an outwardly directed shoulder at the top of said wall, a filter disk covering said plate and having its marginal portion seated against the cylindrical wall and 6 upon the shoulder of the bowl, a resiliently flexible disk of pliant rubber for retaining the filter disk in position, said retaining disk having an apertured body and an annular marginal portion for resiliently pressing the filter margin against the peripheral margin of the plate, the cylindrical wall and the shoulder of the bowl, and a concentric rib integral with and depending from the body of said retaining disk adjacent its center to bear upon the filter disk substantially inward of the periphery of the plate to support the body of said retaining disk spaced from the filter.

DAVID O. BRANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 712,336 Rudner Oct. 28, 1902 807,547 Fliegel Dec. 19, 1905 809,115 Klint Jan. 2, 1906 1,014,843 Nobles Jan. 16, 1912 1,501,073 Stead July 15, 1924 1,647,562 Drew Nov. 1, 1927 1,958,701 Hois May 15, 1934 2,098,128 Bailey Nov. 2, 1937 2,209,447 DoWling July 30, 1940 2,321,220 Lieberman Jan. 8 1943 2,331,234 Rush Oct. 5, 1943 

